Throw him off the boat
by YuryJulian
Summary: Bridger has to leave the boat for a special mission and a new captain came on board of seaQuest.
1. Default Chapter

Disc: I have no rights to the series seaQuest DSV and seaQuest 2032. I'm not earning any money from writing this story.  
  
My thanks goes to Refur for beta reading! Thank you very much!!!  
  
Throw him off the boat by Yury Julian  
  
"Why you?"asked a indignant Lucas.  
  
"Because I'm the best man for the job."Bridger answered.  
  
"Hasn't the UEO got anyone else? Why are we getting a stand-in on board? Isn't Commander Ford qualified enough? I'm sure he would cope."  
  
Captain Bridger pushed Lucas out of the way so he could get to his drawer. "Of course he's qualified, but at the moment it's unclear how long I will be off the boat and that's why we need a stand-in."  
  
"You do realize that I'm going to give him hell on earth?"asked the teenager with narrowed eyes.  
  
"You will stay in your cabin and make as little trouble as possible!" Bridger warned the blond boy.  
  
"Is that your final decision?"  
  
"Yes it is. I have my orders and I will obey them."  
  
"Whatever you want."A furious Lucas ran out of the cabin.  
  
"And?"asked Ben who was waiting for Lucas not far from the captains' quarters.  
  
"He's going. Are you sure that this stand-in is really that bad? I wasn't very nice to Bridger."  
  
"Really bad is not the right word. This guy'll have me punished after two minutes. You can't have fun with him. Maybe you could play a harmless trick on him, but in my position he would send me straight to the brig."  
  
"As long as we can't convince Bridger to stay here, we have no other choice."  
  
"Go back and try again. He usually listens to you. Tell him you'll miss him terribly and that you're scared he might get hurt."  
  
"Give me a break, Ben! Since you're the one who knows who the stand-in is, go argue with him yourself. I'm not your puppet!" With those words Lucas left his friend alone in the corridor. He had promised Darwin he would swim with him, and that was what he wanted to do now. It was none of his business who would take Bridger's place during his absence. As long as he was able to do what he wanted, everything would be all right. Anyway, Bridger would be back soon.  
  
"Is he already on board?"Lucas asked Commander Ford breathlessly. He had been running through the corridors and had run more than one crewman over.  
  
"Lucas, how many times do I have to tell you that you have no reason to be on the bridge. Especially now."said Ford, sounding displeased. He was nervous about the new captain. He wondered what it would be like to work with him. Bridger was really close to his executive staff, but the first captain of seaQuest had not been. Ford had had some problems with her. He hoped that this new one, who would be around for some weeks, would be someone like Bridger. Someone who he would be able to get on with.  
  
"I'm a part of this crew, I have a right to be here just like everyone else on the boat,"Lucas answered like a shot.  
  
"Hasn't Dr. Westphalen got any work for you to do?"  
  
"No, she hasn't. I want to know what the stand-in's like. Krieg told me he's a real hardass."  
  
"This hardass, my lad, does not allow children on the bridge,"said a stern voice behind Lucas. He was grabbed roughly by the arm, and he looked into a harsh face. The man was half bald and the hairs which were left were only milimetres long. "Get out of here or I'll send you back to your kindergarten."  
  
"You can't order me around. I'm a civilian!"Lucas freed himself from the unpleasant man's grasp.  
  
"So is that what you think? Under the circumstances, I am anxious to see how long you will hold that opinion."The man waved at two bridge officers. "Get him off the bridge."  
  
"Captain Hudson, I don't believe this is necessary. I'm sure Lucas intends to leave by himself,"interrupted commander Ford.  
  
"Don't tell me what to do. Just because Bridger lets children run around his feet doesn't mean I have to."  
  
"But Lucas is not an officer of the UEO, nor is he an adult,"said Ford.  
  
"That is exactly the reason why he has to leave the bridge!"he threw a dark look at the teenager, who exited the bridge at a leisurely pace. This asshole wasn't going to ruffle his feathers!  
  
Without knocking, he opened the supply officer's door just a few moments later. "I take everything back, Ben. This guy is the pits!"  
  
"Is he already on board?"Ben jumped out of his bunk. "Damn. I'm on duty. If he knows that I'm not at my post, there'll be trouble."  
  
"So now you're jumping like the bad captain ordered? That's not like you." The teenager stood there with his hands in his trouser pockets and observed his friend. He was hurriedly trying to get into his trousers and putting his socks on the wrong feet.  
  
"If it is Hudson, then it is like me. He's going to have a fit as soon as he sees me."  
  
Somebody knocked on the door and a brief moment later the person appeared in the quarters. "Hi you two. Guess who else was put on the hitlist of the people to be thrown off the bridge!"  
  
"No, really?"asked Lucas surprised. "What, you didn't dance to his tune? Or did he just not like your face?"  
  
"No, I just didn't put the WSKRs in the position he wanted them in. I can't risk losing one of them. We were blind without them, so I had to go,"said Ortiz.  
  
"Count yourself lucky. He's starting right away and I'm late. I'm sharkfood."  
  
"Don't worry, I don't think Darwin will eat you,"Lucas laughed.  
  
"You may laugh. Just wait a little while. You'll see why you have to be afraid of him."With those words, Lieutenant Krieg disappeared out of his cabin.  
  
"He's not so bad."  
  
"Leave him alone, Miguel. He had some bad memories of the replacement captain. Hey, he forgot to throw us out of his quarters before he left. What do you think, do you need any of this stuff?"Lucas was already digging in the boxes.  
  
"Are there any movie disks? I can't find my old ones."Ortiz got down on his knees beside Lucas.  
  
"Sure. There's some porn at the bottom of Ben's cupboard,"said Lucas casually as he swiped some disks.  
  
"Are you old enough for this?"  
  
"Don't get me wrong. This is softer stuff. Ben hasn't got any hardcore disks."  
  
"It seems like you know a lot about this."Lucas only grinned at his friend's comment.  
  
"Ok, I have all I need. See you later."  
  
"Wait, what are you going to do?"  
  
"I'm gonna update the vocoder a little bit. My computer needs something new, too. Say hi to the jerk-off from me."Then he was away. Miguel decided that 'jerk-off' referred to the new captain.  
  
"Ok, Darwin. What do you think of this one?"Lucas held the book higher to give the dolphin the opportunity to see the picture.  
  
"Bad."  
  
"Hey, don't get my book wet."He quickly protected the book from the dolphin's splashing.  
  
Someone banged something on the table. Startled, the teenager looked behind him. "What happened?"  
  
"This damn..."She didn't say anything else. Dr Westphalen slumped down on the stool. "I could explode!"Her cheeks were red and her right hand still a fist.  
  
"So the list's getting longer?"Lucas said. He went to the doctor and sat down on the opposite site of her.  
  
"Lucas, I don't know what you're talking about,"said Kristin, shaking her head.  
  
"The list of people who'd like to send the captain to the moon."  
  
"You can say that again. Is everything all right with you? I heard he wasn't pleased with you, either."  
  
"That?"Lucas brushed Dr. Westphalen's doubts away with wave of his hand. "He can't do anything to me. Besides, it's in my interest to play with Darwin like I'm following orders. After I saw Ben transform into a workhorse, I can imagine what he would do to me if he had the chance. What have you done to annoy him?"  
  
"I haven't done anything, he has. Instead of bringing us to the South Atlantic, he changed our course, just like that. He wants to observe an area in the Persian Gulf. He said there might be a crisis. If there is it would be better if seaQuest is already in position. The fish in the South Atlantic won't swim away. But this is a scientific boat not a warship. He loves to play at being a war god!"  
  
"Couldn't you insist on your science mission?"  
  
"If only it were so easy,"she sighed. "At the moment the military has the last word. They know who they sent to this boat."  
  
"Somebody who feels best on the bridge when he's alone."Lieutenant Commander Hitchcock sat down. "I said our sensors seemed to be going wrong and he asked how, but I couldn't answer correctly."  
  
"So you had to leave the bridge and somebody with more competence than you came to take your position."Lucas put one and one together.  
  
"Did you secretly hack into his files?"she joked.  
  
"No, not yet,"grinned the teenager. "Ben was telling me stories about this jerk all morning."  
  
"Oh, that doesn't surprise me. I already know them by heart. I always thought he was exaggerating, but he really is like that,"said the commander.  
  
"What we do now? I don't want to watch him throw one crew member after another off the bridge. In the end our war god will be barricaded in there on his own,"said Lucas.  
  
"I can't do anything. Beside I should look after the medical section so we can be ready in case of emergency. My research can wait till later,"Dr Westphalen said sarcastically.  
  
"You're not really going to follow his orders?"  
  
"Of course I am, Lucas. If I just sit here the whole time I'll go crazy!"  
  
"You could play with me and Darwin! Please, you can't go now. The medical station won't run away from you like the fish. We have enough personnel who care about the station. They won't need you."begged Lucas.  
  
"I'll play with you."Hitchcock offered.  
  
"Right, Katie will play with you and I'll go to the medical station."With that, the doctor disappeared off seadeck.  
  
"I'm going to try to find Bridger."  
  
"What? I thought we were going to play now?"said Hitchcock to Lucas, who got up from the stool and turned to go.  
  
"I'm not interested in that."  
  
"But just now you wanted to."  
  
"Just now Dr Westphalen was still here. She knows exactly how to play with Darwin, but with you I have no idea how long you'll stick around."  
  
"So I'm not good enough for you?"said the commander, sounding offended. She put her hands on her hips.  
  
"Exactly."He was already gone. Once he had arrived at his quarters he right away logged into the UEO computer system. It wouldn't be too difficult to find Bridger. Nothing was hidden from him.  
  
Nathan was in command. His temporary crew worked well together. Top men, who were used to frequent changes in command. There was a knock on his cabin door. "Sir, there's an incoming call for you. We'll put it through."  
  
"Thanks."He frowned, thinking. Who would call him here? He had spoken with the general just an hour before. As long there were no other changes there was no need to break gagging order. Captain Bridger directed his attention at his vidlink. The logo disappeared and a familiar face appeared.  
  
"Lucas!"  
  
"Sorry, Captain, but I had no other choice. The whole crew is going crazy. And nearly half of them have been banned from the bridge."  
  
Nathan looked at the teenager expectantly. "Why?"  
  
"Because your stand-in is an idiot! I'm not so affected by him, he's not got to me too badly, but you should see the doc. I think it won't be too long before she kills him."  
  
"I can't imagine that the UEO would send someone who would terrorize the crew so badly."  
  
"But they did! Hudson is an asshole! Perhaps I should buckle down like Ben. Even Ford is working with him."  
  
"Lucas!"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Please do me a favour and don't annoy him. Stay in your cabin or with Dr. Westphalen. If he's really so bad, then leave him alone. I'll try to finish this job as soon as possible."  
  
"How long will it take?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Please hurry. Nobody on board can hold their breath for ever."  
  
"I promise. Take care of yourself, kiddo."  
  
"I will,"the blond teenager assured him with a smile.  
  
"And stay away from him."Unfortunately Lucas had closed the connection before he said this. He sat there for a while thoughtfully. It seemed that his youngest crew member was ok, but what he had told him was not so good. As soon as he had a spare minute, he would call Kristin and speak to her.  
  
When he entered the mess hall some of the crew gave him disgruntled looks. After realizing that he was not the one they were angry with, they turned back to their food. The situation was not mentioned again, and he got a tray and an extra big portion with noodles. Earlier he had been playing with Darwin, now he urgently needed something to eat.  
  
All the seats at O'Neill's table were free. "How's it going?"he asked as he sat down.  
  
"It's going,"sighed Tim.  
  
"Hudson?"  
  
The Lieutenant nodded silently. His gaze was directed fixedly at his plate.  
  
"What was it with you?"Lucas speared noodles until there was no space left for any more.  
  
"It wasn't so bad. He didn't say anything against my work, but everything I did seemed to be wrong. He's treating everybody like little children. You have to answer before he's asked the question, but before you've had time to find the required information he's already done an about turn."  
  
"Well, I'm glad I'm off duty."  
  
"You should be."  
  
Ben was standing in the corridor outside the mess searching for a free seat when he spotted Lucas and Tim. He went over to them. "It's all over!"  
  
"Oh, our workhorse,"Lucas said casually.  
  
"Stop joking and listen to what I have to say."  
  
"What is it? Have you finally managed to put him off balance?"asked Lucas right away.  
  
"Can't be. Ben was the only one who he treated like a man,"put in O'Neill.  
  
"No, that's not true. It's only cos I know how to handle him from before. But that doesn't stop me going crazy."  
  
"Oh?"Tim said doubtfully.  
  
"That's right, that's why it's time for revenge. We need Bridger back!"  
  
"I called him today. It looks like he can't come back any time soon."Lucas had finished and stood up to get another portion. When he returned the supply officer went on with their conversation.  
  
"Listen,"he whispered and leaned over the table. His two friends did so too. Ben told them his plan.  
  
"Forget it. Bridger said I should stay away from him and be as quiet as possible."  
  
"Are you afraid?"asked Krieg provokingly.  
  
"No, I'm not."  
  
"Then you can do this with us."  
  
"It's really risky."  
  
"No pain no gain."  
  
"I'm in."Tim offered. "It's enough. It would be better if Ford was in command. But we can't go on this way."  
  
"That's what I think, too. How about it, Lucas, are you with us?"His friends were looking at him intensely. The teenager nodded reluctantly.  
  
To be continued...  
  
The word immediatly fits not well enough and I replaced it with right away. Hope this was right. If not, please tell me to correct it. Thx! The next chapter will be up within two weeks. 


	2. 2

Thanks for your nice reviews!!! Again I have to thank Refur for beta reading. My English is really bad and anyone who beta-reads my stories has a lot to do. Thank you! Have fun with the next chapter!  
  
Ben and Lucas crept through the corridors. According to the duty lists, Captain Hudson was currently on the bridge and should be there for a while. After they arrived at the cargo bay, they opened a panel to get into the cable ducts: from there, they would be able to get to the main ventilation shaft and this went directly above the guest quarters of the stand-in captain. The supply officer put a pen-light between his teeth and went first into the little opening; in his right hand he held a map, which showed the course of the shaft. The computer genius came behind him with the tool bag – Ben had given him his PAL beforehand. Tim's task on the bridge was to warn them if Hudson decided to leave.  
  
"This isn't the guest quarters!" said Lucas with a quick look at the room below them. They had been crawling through the ventilation shaft for some time by the time they stopped there.  
  
"Must be. We followed the map." Frowning, the supply officer studied the map until an impatient teenager grabbed it.  
  
"We took four wrong turns. We haven't followed the map!" he hissed at his friend. His knees hurt from the hard metal plates; all he wanted was to walk upright.  
  
"We can't have. I ..."  
  
Below them they heard a door opening. The two of them were quiet and waited to see what was going to happen.  
  
"Damn his arrogance." A wildly swearing Kristin came in.  
  
She took off her white coat. Without looking she threw it over the next stool. "That bastard," she snarled.  
  
Ben signalled to Lucas to creep away silently. Just at the moment he turned there was a creaking sound. Not two seconds later there was a large hole in the shaft and Ben was lying like an insect on his back in the doctor's quarters. Frightened, she stared at the intruder. Lucas couldn't help it: he began to laugh. It was too funny seeing how his friend was lying there on the ground and Dr Westphalen was gearing up to yell at him.  
  
Kristin looked up to where the big hole was and a certain teenager was rolling around with laughter. "Could you please come down here?"  
  
He wipped the tears from his eyes and jumped down. Ben got up out of the dirt. "Uhm, my back. I landed right on my spine." He held his spine and the pain was reflected in his face.  
  
"What on earth were you doing up there?" the doctor asked after the two had calmed down again and she was sure Ben was all right.  
  
"We wanted to teach the stand-in a lesson," Lucas told her.  
  
The lieutenant gave him a hard shove. "Perfect! Why not tell her everything we planned while you're at it?"  
  
"Should I?" the teenager turned to his friend.  
  
"No!"  
  
"Perhaps she can help us." Ben was still shaking his head. Lucas argued harder. "Otherwise her fish will swim away!"  
  
"Stop it!" Kristin interrupted. She wasn't interested in getting involved in this situation.  
  
"Please, doc, this guy is getting on your nerves just as much as on everyone else's. All we want is to get him off the boat. Ford is good enough, he can command the ship for a few months. We don't need a blithering idiot stand-in who thinks he can order us around however he wants." The teenager watched her, an imploring look in his blue eyes. He was right. She would like to go on with her research. Her timetable was confused enough what with Bridger's special mission, and she could do without any more problems.  
  
Kristin crossed her arms in front of her chest. "What are you intending to do?"  
  
"We're going to mess up his shower." Again, it was Lucas who told her everything.  
  
Rolling his eyes the supply officer capitulated. "We want to give him ice water whenever he tunrs on the faucet."  
  
"We also planned to pump in some laughing gas as soon as he was trying to get some sleep," said Lucas.  
  
"I had the idea to send Darwin to annoy Hudson but Lucas was against it."  
  
"Of course!" Lucas retorted furiously. "He'd be able to send Darwin off the boat. Darwin has to stay on seaQuest – what will I do all day if he isn't here? A little while ago he turned up outside my cabin, and he said I should stop playing my computer games because they take up too much of the system's resources. As if me playing a little computer game makes any difference. This man has no idea of what resources the computer system has, and he knows absolutely nothing about seaQuest. Twenty people could all be playing a massive game at the same time and the system wouldn't be affected..." Ben put his hand over the boy's mouth.  
  
"OK, we get it, thanks!"  
  
"Listen you two: I'll forget the way you got into my quarters and I'll keep it a secret until the captain comes back, but you have to fix the hole above my head. And I'll help you with your revenge as best as I can."  
  
"How you were thinking of helping us?" The supply officer still didn't let the teenager go. Now he had regained control of the situtation.  
  
"I could get your laughing gas."  
  
The blond computer genius bit Ben's hand. Swearing, he let him go. "Could you produce some kind of smoke? If the guy thinks it's burning and sets off the fire alarm he'll look like an idiot when it turns out it isn't. For this guy, nothing's worse than being shown up."  
  
At that moment, as the scientist started to answer, there was a knock at the door. It was an angry knock. Eyes wide open with shock the three of them looked at it. Through the little window they saw a familiar half bald head. "Shit! O'Neill's gonna get it if we get out of here alive," cursed Ben. Although their friend was supposed to inform them if the captain left the bridge, they had received no warning.  
  
"Hide!" Kristin pushed them towards a large plant. They hid behind it as she prepared to open the door.  
  
But before she did, she took a last deep breath and put on her friendliest smile. "What can I do for you?"  
  
"You kept me waiting a long time before you opened up, doctor!" He tried to step into the quarters, but the red-haired doctor was standing in his way.  
  
"That's my business, not yours."  
  
"Have you got some visitors?"  
  
"What makes you think that?"  
  
"I thought I heard voices."  
  
"You must have been working too hard, Captain. Maybe changing the course would help. While I was investigating insignificant fish, as you called them, you would be able to take some time out. I'm sure after that the voices in your head would disappear."  
  
"A little more respect, please! You are standing in front of a superior officer."  
  
"If this is the science section, then I am the superior!" The two hidden people held their breath. This rebellion could have a bad ending.  
  
"Not on this ship, my dear," Hudson grinned winningly. His teeth flashed between his lips. But then he discovered something that made him forget his reason for being there. "What happened to your quarters? Are you building an extension?"  
  
"Uhm..." The plate which had fallen out of the shaft with Ben was still where they had left it. They'd forgotten to move it out of way. And now the captain saw the hole in the ceiling. "That happened a few days ago. Lieutenant Commander Hitchcock promised me she would repair it a while ago, but unfortunately there hasn't been any time for it. Apparently, the whole crew must be ready for the captain at all times. Such a little thing like a tiny hole in the shaft in the quarters of the science officer and chief doctor isn't worth sending anyone."  
  
Lucas was impressed. This woman was better than him at getting out of delicate situations. Ben seems to relax as well. His grip on Lucas' arm loosened. The teenager thought he might have drawn blood.  
  
The man sized the doctor up sternly. "I'll send someone." He turned around and disappeared without saying why he had come. Kristin closed the door and leaned against it, relieved.  
  
"You were great!" the computer genius praised her.  
  
"I was scared he was going to yell at me any moment that he knew perfectly well I wasn't telling the truth."  
  
"Look at it like this, at least you won't have to live with this hole till Bridger comes back. Some rats could easily get into your bed at night," said Ben.  
  
"Rats?" Her voice took on a hysterical note.  
  
"There are no rats on seaQuest," the blond teenager told his friend.  
  
"You have no idea. Last time we had a problem with the turbines, it was because a dead rat had got into them."  
  
"Ben, if you really want to scare someone you'll have to invent some other stories. If we really did have rats on board, I'd be the first to know."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yes, I am!"  
  
The doctor stood up and opened the door. "Out, both of you!"  
  
The two friends were looking at her questioningly. What was happening now? Were they supposed to leave? "I thought you were with us and our plan?" Ben said, confused.  
  
"First this hole must be repaired. After that we can talk further." She pushed them into the corridor.  
  
"Can you do the stuff with the smoke? I'll study the plans of the shafts so we know the right place to set it up," Lucas said.  
  
"Go to bed! It's late. Please. I don't want you getting into any trouble with this man." She closed the door. Disappointed, they stood in the passageway.  
  
"What're we going to do now?" asked Ben. "Are you going to bed, like mummy told you to?"  
  
Lucas grabbed Ben by the collar of his uniform and dragged him into the MagLev. "No way. I'm just getting started. First we get hold of O'Neill for not warning us, then we get back to the cable duct. This time I'll read the map and you can be the sherpa."  
  
"Are you sure you'll able to follow such a complicated map?" Ben asked, eyebrows raised.  
  
"Must I remind you that I'm smarter than you?"  
  
"That has nothing to do with reading maps."  
  
"Sure it has. Besides, I think I know how to sort out the smoke."  
  
"Are you gonna mess about with some chemicals in the lab?"  
  
"Yup! We had a project at college where we produced smoke as a by-product, so it should be no problem to cook some up. All I have to do is to remember the right composition."  
  
They got out of MagLev and went straight to the laboratory. The supply officer had a bad feeling. "This guy hasn't done anything to you but you're harder on him than anyone else on this ship."  
  
Lucas stood still in front of the laboratory door. He turned slowly to his friend. "He hasn't spared me. He didn't just turn up at my cabin to forbid me from playing with the computer. He told me to pack, cos on his ship there's nothing for kids to do. As soon as we pass a UEO colony I have to leave the boat. If Bridger accepts children on his boat then that's his own business, but now I have no reason to stay here."  
  
"This is a joke."  
  
The teenager shook his head sadly. "No, apparently I'm getting in everyone's way."  
  
"Have you told Bridger?"  
  
"No, I couldn't reach him. Wherever he is, he's out of range. Like he's in an isolation chamber. His ship is nowhere to be found. I'm getting thrown out, and I'm completely alone. This evening I have to leave seaQuest. If I don't go voluntarily he will escort me. A remand unit would be the best place for me."  
  
"You can't go!"  
  
"He's not interested in negotiating. I'm in the way and I have to disappear."  
  
Ben put his arm around his young friend. "That's not going to happen. We'll speak to Ford, perhaps he'll able to do something, or we'll set Kristin on the bastard."  
  
Determination appeared on the teenager's face. "I won't let him throw me off the boat. The only one who has to go is that jerk himself. And even if I have to crawl through cable shafts, nobody will get me off this boat. Now, we're going to do some experiments and then we'll wake up Ford."  
  
"Isn't he on the bridge?" The supply officer followed his young friend into the laboratory. Right away the teenager started collecting all manner of phials and chemicals with some really poisonous names on them.  
  
Lucas glanced at his watch. "His shift was over half an hour ago. At the moment he's sitting in the mess hall eating dinner. After that he'll going to the fitness center, with our stand-in captain if I'm not mistaken. He will exhaust him so badly that all he'll want to do is get some rest. So you see, he'll be in bed reading a book for as long as he can." He mixed some powder together and shook it, then put some drops of another chemical in the test-tube. The mixture began to bubble a little.  
  
"Are you sure you know what you're doing here?" Lieutenant Krieg looked at the bubbles suspiciously. The foam was growing bigger and bigger, and now it was beginning to drip over the lip of the test-tube.  
  
"Sure I'm not. I thought I'd weighed the powder, but look at this. Now I've got foam." One flake of foam fell onto his thumb. He held it under Ben's nose and then he spread it on his cheek. "We should remember this. It's perfect for practical jokes at the showers. Instead of water we can use foam next time." The teenager stopped talking. Ben was thinking the same thing as him.  
  
"Could we use this somehow..." the supply officer trailed off.  
  
"Sure. That should be no problem." Each of them took a bag and put the necessary chemicals inside. They would be able to prepare everything they needed in the supply officer's quarters.  
  
As they got ready to leave the laboratory and Ben opened the door, they saw standing in front of them a certain officer who was as surprised to see them as they were to see him.  
  
To be continued...  
  
Sorry, the next chapter will be up by the end of July. is hidding somewhere 


	3. 3

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First I would like to thank all of you for your nice reviews.

Some of you have complained about the unrealistic elements of my story. While I take your comments on board, you should bear in mind that in this story I am not concerned with realism, but with having fun. If that's a problem for you, fair enough, consider this a warning to stop reading now. I'd like to say that, generally speaking, seaQuest stories are of very high quality compared with some other fandoms here on , so I'm sure you'll find plenty of other fics that will suit you better.

Special thanks to Refur for beta reading!

Now, have fun with the final chapter!

========

"Could you please explain to me what you're doing here and what those are?" asked Commander Ford, looking at the bags and crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Uhm... this..." Ben stuttered. Why wasn't the commander in his quarters like Lucas said?

"Dr Westphalen asked us to bring her some things because she likes to work in her quarters before she goes to sleep. As long as the other captain is on board, she'd prefer to run into him as little as possible. They'll just argue about her research," Lucas said. His friend had come close to betraying them with his stuttering.

Chief Crocker put his hands on his hips. He stood beside Commander Ford. "You two are planning something. I can see it in your faces!"

"How would you know?" the teenager asked incredulously.

Jonathan didn't wait for any further explanations. He grabbed the bag from the Lieutenant. Ben tried to save it, but it was too late. "I'm going to ask Dr Westphalen if what you told me is true. Until then I'd like both of you to go to your cabins and get some sleep. If I am not mistaken, then you're on duty tomorrow morning, Lieutenant; you should be awake for that. Chief Crocker will accompany you." Ford grabbed Lucas' bag as well. Frustrated by this unexpected obstacle, the two of them went with Crocker to their rooms.

Before Lucas lay down on his bunk he tried to call Bridger, but without success once again. Discouraged, he snuggled down in his blanket. Darwin was with him; his being there gave him some comfort. His fingers went to the glass and touched it. He would have liked to kiss the dolphin, but unfortunately that wasn't possible. Worried about his future on seaQuest, he fell asleep.

"Do you really think that was necessary?" asked Commander Ford reproachfully when they had fired the second torpedo. Captain Hudson was of the opinion that it would drive away the illegal ships, which had no permission to be there. This was an ore-mining area. After discovering the boats they had requested that they stop what they were doing, but none had complied, and without considering alternative solutions Hudson had given the order to shoot. Fortunately, he had some compassion and aimed only at their engines.

"If they don't want to listen we must make them, Commander! We gave them enough time to leave the area. Mr O'Neill, send some teams out to catch those criminals and lock them up!"

"According to UEO law we have to interview them and read them their rights," Jonathan insisted, determined to go by the book.

"Do you still believe in Santa Claus as well, Commander? Don't question my orders. These aren't just some harmless thieves you can find in any shopping center. These are criminals, and if no-one scares them off, they'll be back."

"They might be back anyway, no matter how harshly you treat them."

Hudson turned to his first officer, smiling cynically. His hands were crossed behind his back. "Who do you think gives the orders round here? Surely not you? Stop questioning my decisions—it could harm your career. You still have a lot to learn, and you'll soon see that it's hard to follow UEO directives in the spirit in which they were intended. If you still have a problem with how I run this ship, maybe it would be better if Lieutenant Commander Hitchcock took your position. Then you'd have some time to think about the hierarchy of command."

"You want me to leave the bridge?"

"Exactly! Right now, please."

Totally speechless, Commander Ford stared at the Captain. The older man rolled his eyes when Ford didn't move. "Do I need to call security?"

Jonathan turned and left. Inwardly he was boiling with rage. Who did that man think he was? It was unbelievable, there were actually people who were worse than Stark! His route took him straight to Dr Westphalen's quarters. There was a repair team fixing the hole in the shaft, and Lucas was sitting with the doctor, helping her make some list. Without knocking, he hurried into the quarters and laid his hands flat on the table. He took a deep breath to calm himself down before speaking. "OK, this has gone too far. Captain Hudson has to go, as soon as possible. What have you and Ben got planned?"

"You confiscated everything yesterday evening! Don't you remember?"

Dr Westphalen yelled out some suggestions: "We'll put slimy slugs in his bunk. We'll put artificial flavouring in his food so that everything he eats tastes like vomit. If he tries to use the bathroom, we'll make water splash out in all directions."

Commander Ford and Lucas looked at the doctor, astonished. "Did you know he was intending to send Lucas off the ship?" she asked Ford, after realising that everyone in the room was staring at her. Even the repair team had looked up in confusion.

Slowly the Commander nodded. "Yes, Ortiz told me yesterday and I tried to contact Bridger, but it's not possible at the moment."

"Unfortunately," added the computer genius, sounding dispirited. Ford laid one hand comfortingly on his shoulder. "Even if I thought he was the perfect captain, I would never have let you go. Stay calm. We'll have him off the boat by tomorrow evening. I promise you."

"How? When Ben and I tried to get into his quarters through the air-vents, we made this hole!" He pointed at the desk.

The Commander looked at the repair team. They were doing some welding work. "This is how we'll do it," he whispered. "Lucas, make a list of the names of all the people who will work for us. The more the merrier. Doctor, I'd be very pleased if you could put some of your ideas into practice. And you two," he looked at the repair team, "can put your names on Lucas' list if you're with us. Otherwise you'll stay quiet about this to Captain Hudson. That's an order"

"Ow! Commander, would you mind getting your elbow out of my face?"

"Oh, sorry, Ben."

"Thanks!"

The two officers were crawling through the shafts above the captain's quarters, followed by Ortiz and Crocker. The Security Chief had co-opted his whole team. Their job was to keep an eye on the deck during this little operation. If somebody who wasn't in on the plan came by, they would make him take a roundabout route. They had even developed a perfect diversion for Captain Hudson: Hitchcock had been delegated to keep him on the bridge as long as possible, and Lucas was feeding false information to the bridge as a failsafe measure to keep him there.

Silently they opened the plate. Although the teenager and the Lieutenant were making sure that Hudson wouldn't see anything on his display, they had to be careful. Ford was the first to slip inside the room; the supply officer followed him.

From the shaft, Ortiz and Chief Crocker passed them the tools they had brought and the container with Dr Westphalen's slugs. The loss of the little animals was difficult for her, but to get rid of this guy she was more than happy to make sacrifices.

"Chief, help me with the mechanism above the sluice. Ben, you and Ortiz work on the toilet surprise," ordered the commander.

"I can't wait!" Miguel answered, full of excitement. He dragged Krieg to the little bathroom, where they spread out Hitchcock's plans. They wanted to manipulate the toilet flush. Instead of draining off, the water would overflow and flood the whole cabin. Then they installed tiny containers filled with Lucas' powder in the water box above the toilet. Now pretty foam would be produced whenever Hudson pressed the flush—they hoped this would happen when the captain was still sitting on the toilet. Ben's suggestion to install a camera had been rejected.

Using screwdrivers, Ford and Crocker installed a container above the door. It contained a kind of slimy algae filtered from Darwin's tube. The sea mammal had been happy to help them to clean the filters and collect as much of the algae as possible.

As soon as their victim entered his cabin, there would be a nice shower for him. They were planning to manipulate the real shower as well. There they thought it would be a good idea to switch the hot- and cold-water taps.

Jonathan got down from the stool. "I think it's done now."

"You'd make a great labourer, Commander. I don't think anyone else could have done this so well," Crocker praised him.

The commander brushed the dust off his hands and went to the bathroom. "How's it looking?"

Ortiz took the screwdriver out of his mouth so that he could reply. "Nearly finished. All we have to do is close it, and then that should be it."

Ben took a moment to finish off and then put the tools back in the bag.

"Great. Chief, the slugs?" Ford hurried to the table where Crocker opened another container.

"Don't you think they'll escape?"

"Doctor Westphalen said they'll stay in one place if it's damp enough. They're more likely to die in his bed than to escape," the commander said, holding a bowl of water. He went to the bed and lifted the blanket. They had brought the bowl with them -- it was no longer possible to get water safely from the captain's bathroom: everything had been messed up. Now he poured the water over the bed, and then Crocker placed the slugs on it. They laid the blanket back exactly as before, so that no-one who didn't already know what was under it would notice a thing. That would be enough.

"Hurry, we've got to be quick." Ford looked at his watch. "Soon his shift'll be over, and then he'll come back here."

One after another they hastily got back into the shaft. They closed the plate, and finally they called the others to let them know that the installation was complete.

Everybody was on the bridge, waiting. "Shouldn't something have happened by now?" O'Neill voiced what all of them were thinking.

"Maybe he was hungry and went to get something to eat before going to his quarters," said the doctor.

"No way! He doesn't even like riding in the MagLev with enlisted crew." Lucas said.

"What's this? A mutiny?" Suddenly Captain Hudson was standing behind them. Frightened, the crew members turned round. But their fright quickly changed into stifled giggles. The captain was covered from head to foot in green algae. On his shoulder was a slug which had slipped into the algae container during the installation. From his knees down he was covered in fine, white foam.

Commander Ford stood stiffly in front of him, his arms folded. "If that's what you want to call it. The whole crew has decided not to take any more orders from you. There's a shuttle waiting for you in the docking bay which will bring you to land."

Oliver Hudson sneered at him. "You can't do this. You'll all be court martialled."

"We don't think so. These men and women have been witness to many of your actions in the last few days. Not following your instructions could also bring you to a court martial. The fact that all of us stand together on this, along with the tapes from the bridge cameras, should mean that they'll believe us over you. Now, can I escort you to the docking bay? You have to leave seaQuest!"

When Hudson didn't move, Lucas slide under the handrail of Ortiz's station and went over to Ford. "If you won't go voluntarily, I'm sure there are plenty of security guards who'll show you the way," he grinned.

Bridger's stand-in turned on his heel and muttered something about an impudent brat. He took only one step, and then his feet left the ground and he slid painfully down the rest of the steps: the foam under his shoes had slipped him up. Blushing furiously, he made his escape. The crew broke out laughing and couldn't stop. As Hudson finally left the boat, they threw a spontaneous party and everybody celebrated; Lucas fed Darwin a piece of cream cake as a reward for his assistance.

"And everything went OK while I was away?"

"Yes, Sir. There were no problems," the commander replied.

Bridger paused in front of his quarters. "I heard my stand-in left the boat in a hurry. Was there any reason?"

"No, I think he just realised that we're not very well organised when you're not here."

Nathan raised one eyebrow a little. "So, what would you say to keeping command of this ship for a while while I recover from my mission?"

"It'd be an honour, Sir." Jonathan answered with a smile, and went to the bridge.

Still puzzling, Bridger entered his cabin. Something had happened on his boat, and if he knew his people he was going to have to do a great deal of persuading before they'd let him in on the secret. But first he had something else to do.

Relieved, he pulled up his trousers and pressed the toilet flush. He didn't have time to jump out of the way before the foam poured out of the toilet. It didn't take long before he was covered in the stuff. Now he had a rough idea of what the crew had been up to.

Elsewhere on the boat, three crewmen sat in anticipation of the surprise awaiting Bridger. The camera was installed in the shaft above the captain's quarters, and would be taken down the next day, but until then the three friends rolled on the floor laughing at the expression on Nathan Bridger's face as he left his bathroom covered in foam. Lucas, Ben and Miguel would be laughing over that scene for a long time to come.

The End

Last explanation: the camera was not in the bathroom itself. Hope that was clear.


End file.
